Monique Snyman's Blog, page 21

Wrong Answers Only Interview: Dave Jeffery

Wrong Answers Only is a brand spanking new segment on the blog, where I ask authors some cliché questions and they have to answer it completely wrong. Yes, this interview is probably utterly pointless in the grand scheme of things, but it’s fun nonetheless. I mean, where else are you going to find a Wrong Answers Only interview with some of the finest authors in the industry?

My first victim—I mean, willing subject—is none other than one of the nicest authors in the business, Dave Jeffery. He is the author of the Beatrice Beecham series, which just so happens to be one of my favorite YA series.

What’s New Wednesday #10: And Then She Rested

This Wednesday, I’m all about the resting and chilling and enjoying all the things. Since The Bone Carver (Harrowsgate #2) is done and at my publisher, I thought I would take a little breather and just catch up on everything I haven’t had time to do. This includes reading, watching some TV, baking, and dressing up for no reason.

I’m sure you’re eager for me to get into what I’m obsessed with this Wednesday, so let’s get on with it:

Books

[image error] [image error] [image error]For the rest of this week, I’m sitting back and enjoying a bit of leisure reading. I have a mountain of books I want to get through, but for now I’m taking things slow, taking my time to absorb each and every glorious word. First up on the list is Suspicious Minds (Stranger Things #1), which everyone’s been gushing about since its release.

I’m a fan of the show, so I’m sure it’s a good one. Then, it’s me and another fan fave, Teeth in the Mist by Dawn Kurtagich. I’ll be honest, I have no idea what to expect with it, but the cover drew me in and I sometimes like going in blind.

A Serious Case of the Sequels

Here’s the thing about sequels: They’re difficult to write and even harder to write well. I don’t think I’ve ever met a writer who actually didn’t struggle with a sequel at some point in their career

On April 1st, 2018, I began writing The Bone Carver, which is the sequel to The Night Weaver. Now, I remember the date, because 1.) It was April Fools, and 2.) My husband broke his foot that day, which is what kind of inspired the whole concept. I wanted the book to be done in 2018. I wanted it to be published in 2019. Unfortunately, the universe laughed at me and threw everything it had at us to deter me from finishing.

I’ve written a sequel before, for the incomplete series that won’t ever be named on this blog and which I probably won’t ever complete, but I never expected The Bone Carver would be as difficult to write as it was. I mean, this last phase of the writing process took me 3 weeks to complete, which—after I did some inventory—amounted to 600 grams of instant coffee, 21 takeout dinners, and more snacks than I could count (my poor liver). Luckily, due to the amount of stress I put myself under, I didn’t put on any weight. But I think now’s a good time to do a proper detox and live a little healthier.

Let’s Talk About the Sequel

I’m not at liberty to talk too much about The Bone Carver at this time. It’s written, it’s been submitted, it’ll undergo the Vesuvian Books treatment, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day. That being said, I can tell you something about how I wrote the book.

For example: In the last year and a half, I wrote the book from scratch 5 times!

Four drafts were wholly different from one another, and our friends from The Harrowsgate Series could take so many roads to the ultimate end it wasn’t even funny. There were too many decisions for me to make, so yeah, I was pretty overwhelmed. Then, sometime in May, my husband had the idea of a lifetime, one that saved my sanity—Can you somehow combine the ideas?

I know, I know, obviously I married him for his brain.

So, draft #5 is a combination of all the roads that could’ve been taken, and in my opinion, I freaking smashed it. Granted, I’m still on my “writer’s high”, because I finished the book’s self-edits and submitted it to my publisher just 4 hours ago, so there’s no telling if it is actually any good. Still, I’m happy with how it turned out.

What Now?

Well, now I have a fortnight off from writing. I have some outstanding admin to catch up on for Crystal Lake Publishing, which will hopefully be done in a day or two, and then I have some stuff to do for The Night Weaver‘s release, but other than that I’m on a well-deserved break. This means, it’s time to catch up on reading, unwind in front of the TV, bake, do some spring cleaning, and chill in the garden.

Basically, it’s #MeTime for the rest of September.

Then, it’s time to tackle Harrowsgate (Book #3), which I’ll talk about in a minute.

When is The Bone Carver Coming?

I think Vesuvian Books have it slated for a Fall 2020 release. I’ll have to make sure on the date, but I’m pretty sure that’s roundabout the time The Bone Carver will come out.

It also means there will probably be more news to share in the not-too-distant future. Whoohoo!

Harrowsgate #3

I can’t remember if I ever revealed the title, so tentatively, let’s just stick to calling it Harrowsgate #3. Well, what can I say? I have a concept, an outline, and I’m pretty sure it won’t be as hard to write as The Bone Carver. There’s also a deadline, which I’m trying not to think about, but it’s there.

Again, I can’t say much about the book yet, you’ll just have to wait and see the awesome as things progress. It is coming, though. So help me, this series will be completed before I hit 40.

And Now I Sleep

I just wanted to brag a bit before I head to bed for twelve glorious hours of sleep. That’s how I celebrate … sleep. So goodnight, Darklings. I’ll be sure to check in soon.

What’s New Wednesday #9: Making My Manuscript Bleed

It’s time for another What’s New Wednesday post!

I’m sure some of you’ve realized I’ve been M.I.A. for a couple of weeks or so … Well, just on my blog. Sometimes I tweeted a bit when I took a break. That being said, I had a very good reason why I went radio silent, which I’ll reveal later on in the post. *super grin*

In the meantime, let’s get on with my current obsessions on this What’s New Wednesday.

TV Shows/ Films

[image error] [image error] [image error] [image error]Okay, I didn’t have a lot of time to watch much of anything, but I did take a break over the weekend to binge Netflix’s latest release—The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. It was an impeccable masterpiece of cinematography and storytelling. I can’t recommend this show enough. Seriously, if you haven’t watched it already, you need to. It’s an epic fantasy, which is easily in the same leagues as The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.

I also checked out a true crime documentary, Serial Killer: Devil Unchained, which revolves around Todd Kohlhepp and his crimes. I actually enjoyed this one a lot, mostly because Todd Kohlhepp isn’t what I’d call a typical open and shut case. His psychology is definitely unique as far as serial killers go …

Lastly, Husband bought us tickets to go see IT: Chapter 2 at the Cine Prestige! We’re both big fans of King’s work, so this weekend, we can lounge in style, call a waiter to bring more popcorn or slush puppies, and enjoy the film. It also means that we’re re-watching It: Chapter 1 on Friday. So, yay!

Music

[image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error]I’ve been listening to a lot of music lately, but also some podcasts while I get on with my work. It’s quite an eclectic mix, but it keeps me moving when the coffee isn’t enough.

Writing News

This is probably what you’ve been waiting for, right? Well, I have a bit of news that may be of interest …

Number Seventeen

Firstly, my flash fiction piece, Number Seventeen, which I talked about in What’s New Wednesday #8: Glow, Censorship, and Writing! will be in Crystal Lake Publishing’s Shallow Waters: Volume 3 anthology. Whoohoo! There isn’t a cover yet, and the TOC is still in progress, but I’ll share it with everyone once the news is released.

I’m so excited!

Interviews / Guest Posts / Podcasts

I’ve been doing quite a lot of interviews as of late in preparation of the release of The Night Weaver (Harrowsgate #1). I still need to tackle a few guest posts, which will hopefully be awesome, and then I’ve booked a podcast, too. So, I’ve been hella busy even if it doesn’t look that way.

[image error]

That being said, if you want to partake in the blog tour, I saw Good Choice Reading is searching for some sign-ups. I think most of the information is available right here. So, what are you waiting for? Go on, you know you want to be part of this tour … Go on, click the link …

The Bone Carver (Harrowsgate #2)

I finished up The Bone Carver (Harrowsgate #2) on September 1st, 2019! I know, I know, this book was supposed to be done ages ago, but everything that could’ve gone wrong went wrong while I was writing it. This is the 5th draft of the book (and I revise as I write, so usually I just have 2 drafts before I enter the self-editing stage). Nevertheless, it’s done. Finally!

Ooh, and the cover art’s already done for this baby (or nearly done). I’ve seen it. I love it! Readers are going to fall in love at first sight, I so know it.

[image error]

If that’s not enough to get you to pre-order The Night Weaver (Harrowsgate #1) then maybe it’ll help knowing I already have the entire series plotted out, and Book #3’s tentative blurb is already written. Oh, yeah, I’m a machine!

So, guess what I’m doing for the next couple of weeks? That’s right, I’m going to make this manuscript bleed. *evil laughter*

And then it’s onto writing Book #3.

And That’s It …

I’ve done some other stuff I can’t talk about yet—mostly editing and compiling stuff. When I can share the news, I will, don’t worry. Alas, we’ve come to an end of this What’s New Wednesday post. It’s not as jam-packed as usual, I know, but it’s an important one for me.

Women in Wrestling: Celebrating Female Empowerment

Female Empowerment

Female empowerment is often associated with Beyoncé Knowles, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren, Queen Elizabeth II, Frida Kahlo, and Billie Jean King. They’re beautiful, intelligent, talented, and fit into what is generally accepted as the ‘right kind of women’ to advocate for female equality in a male-dominated world. We celebrate them for their tireless efforts in trying to bridge the wage gap, for giving women around the world a voice with their campaigns against gender-based violence, for overcoming the odds of breaking through the glass ceiling of their respective jobs.

So, how is it that we often overlook the skimpily-clad, fake-tanned, butt-kicking women in wrestling when we think about female empowerment?

Professional wrestling is one of the few spectator sports that evolve rapidly to please their paying crowd. One moment you think you’re still watching one professional wrestler body slam his opponent, before BAM! The federation has signed on a champion martial artist to kick some sense into the current title holder. The crowd goes wild, a new fan favorite is born, and the public buys their ticket to the next event without blinking an eye.

So, how come we conveniently forget that professional wrestling has been adding female wrestlers to their rosters since the 1930s?

A Quick History of Women in Wrestling

Mildred Burke, who fought between the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s, wrestled over 200 men and lost only to one. June Byers took over as a fan favourite from Burke and was renowned for her athleticism and technique, which often gave her an advantage over much larger opponents than herself. She pretty much changed public perception of women in wrestling. In the 1980s, the so-called ‘Wrestling Boom’ happened in the USA when the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) revolutionized the sport by cross-promoting with various other industries.

The big boom, however, only happened when Cyndi Lauper, known for her timeless hits like ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ and ‘Time After Time’, joined the WWF in 1984. Fast forward to the 1990s and we have women like Chyna strutting around in the ring … Beautiful, deadly Chyna. Oh, what joy she brought when she showed those muscled men who really runs the world. But we forget about Chyna, regardless of the fact that she was the first woman to qualify for the ‘King of the Ring Tournament’, because she isn’t the ‘right kind of woman’ to celebrate.

Now, we have Ronda Rousey, a bronze Olympic medalist in Judo, who has been making news on the mixed martial arts (MMA) scene since 2010. She only recently signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), though, but the question isn’t whether she’ll kick butt and take names later, the question is whether she is the ‘right kind of woman’ for us to get behind because she has an Olympic medal to prove her worth.

Women in Wrestling Today

Perhaps, in the beginning, wrestling did exploit women for financial gain, but does that mean we can’t celebrate the female fighters who somehow managed to make us feel strong just because we watched them fight? Is it fair to brush those women off as ‘fake’ because professional wrestling is considered the equivalent of a ‘soap-opera for men’? Alright, so these women show a little skin when they’re punching the living daylights out of each other … What makes them unworthy of being celebrated for owning their bodies?

Professional wrestling, like most sports, has its flaws, but one thing it does right is by giving women equal opportunity—at least, on the surface. Fake or not, at the end of the day it basically comes down to: If a female wrestler is good enough to compete against her male counterparts, by all means, she can go to town on them.

Isn’t that, after all, the most literal representation of female empowerment?

Press Release: Playing With Fire Cover Reveal

THE PLAYING WITH FIRE BOX-SET HAS GONE THROUGH THE EXTREME OF REBRANDING THEIR COVER.

All 12 USA and international bestselling authors are proud to introduce to you our NEW Playing with Fire boxed-set.

Description:

It doesn’t matter who you think you are…falling in love with the wrong person can have dire consequences.

They say love conquers all, but in the paranormal worlds of these twelve USA Today and international bestselling authors, falling in love means playing with fire…

Someone’s about to get burned.

Dig into hours of forbidden love, lust, and heat as these heroes and heroines long for their beloveds, break taboos, and fight for the ones they never should have chosen—but could never resist. This boxed set is bursting at the seams with romance grounded in all things magical—from dragons and sexy shapeshifters, to angels, warlocks, and uninhibited masters. We have something to strike everyone’s fancy. There are 1000s of sizzling pages full of forbidden love and the trials these gorgeous paramours face to fulfill their deepest desires.

Authors in the Playing with Fire set include:

Adrienne Woods – USA Today bestselling author

Carlyle Labuschagne – USA Today bestselling author

Kristin Ping – USA Today bestselling author

Ashlee Nicole Bye

Toni Cox

Carissa Andrews

Kathrin Hutson

Kat Stiles

Majanka Verstraete

Kat Parrish

Karen M. Bryson

Monique Singleton

GET IT NOW

Links to follow us:

Facebook page Facebook group Instagram Website

GIVEAWAY

GRAB IT NOW

Friday Favorites: Horror Musicals

Friday Favorites for the Win!

Friday Favorites is a segment where I discuss all my favorite (often horror-related) things, and this time I have some horror musicals to chat about.

Ah, yes, I know what you’re thinking … “Surely there can’t be so many horror musicals as to justify an entire post about them?” Well, dear reader, I assure you there are plenty of horror musicals out there, and some of them are really awesome. I mean, yeah, they’re not quite as horrifying as Mama Mia! but they definitely have a soft spot in my little black heart. Of course, I only picked out my favorites, so you’re going to have to do your homework if you want more than those listed below. Still, this is a great place to start…

So, let’s get into this week’s Friday Favorites, shall we?

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

[image error]

As annoying as the Depp-Burton collaboration was at one point, some great films were produced during this time. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is, in my opinion, one of those films. With rich visuals, wonderful cinematography, and excellent singing, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter brought a classic story to life. Also, you’ve gotta love the creative kills …

 

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

[image error]

Repo! The Genetic Opera is possibly my favorite horror musical of the lot. Something about the grungy, dystopian vibe just speaks to me, and although a lot of people moan about Paris Hilton’s performance, I actually think she did a great job. This film produced some great creative kills, the plot is amazing, and the songs are super catchy (seriously, they’ll pop into your head at random for no reason).

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

[image error]

How could I not add one of the most iconic horror musicals of all time to this list? The Rocky Horror Picture Show has stood the test of time, and none of its remakes have come close to being as great as the original. Starring Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon, and with an appearance by Meatloaf, everything about this flick is just perfect.

The Dead Inside (2011)

[image error]

I had the privilege of reviewing this little gem when I was still in the movie reviewing game, and everything about it was wonderful. The music was great, the acting top-notch, and seriously, who wouldn’t want to watch a musical with zombies? Definitely see if you can find The Dead Inside, because it is simply superb.

Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011)

[image error]

Since the DVD release of the Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall performance, my husband and I have a standing tradition to watch it every New Year’s Eve. Now, yeah, I kinda liked the movie, but it’s nothing in comparison to the quality of this production. There’s so much heart and passion involved that it feels like you’ve been transported through time.

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

[image error]

I know that, in my previous Friday Favorites post, I mentioned preferring the original film to the musical version, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the 1986 musical for what it is. Little Shop of Horrors is funny and catchy and certainly worth re-watching when the Broadway bug bites, which happens often in this household.

What’s New Wednesday #8: GLOW, Censorship, and Writing!

What’s new this Wednesday, you ask? Well, down here in the Southern Hemisphere, we’re finally entering our annual thaw (a.k.a it’s heading towards Spring), which means I feel a little zesty and oh, so ready for a mojito by the pool. Not that I have a pool … Pity me.

Anywho, let’s get into this week’s obsessions!

What’s New …

[image error]

First off, let’s get into the nitty gritty part of what I discovered this last week. Censorship. Yup, it exists, folks. Now, you’d think in 2019 this wasn’t the case, because we’re all so—what’s that overused term?—”lit”, right? Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but apparently it looks like the word “horror” is a trigger for social media platforms’ algorithms. In other words, I’m a bad influence according to Mark Zuckerberg and the rest of the social media tycoons.

10 Inspirational Horror Quotes

“Inspirational Horror Quotes”—three words that aren’t typically used together, I know. But with Universal Studios pulling the plug on an upcoming horror flick, called The Hunt, and the continuous blame placed on the horror genre, I feel it’s time to reiterate the fact that the horror genre is not the problem.

There’s nothing wrong with being inspired by the darkness. In fact, horror is inspirational! Not entirely in the way folks believe, of course, but there is beauty in even the most heinous beast. And to those who think darkness is unnatural, ugly, and is the sole reason the world is currently in shambles, let’s get one thing straight … You’re wrong.

You cannot blame the night simply because the sun had set.

To prove my point, I present—against all odds—some of the most inspiring quotes the horror genre has to offer.

10 Inspirational Horror Quotes












The Light in the Darkness

Horror is an exploration of the things we fear. It  teaches us how to overcome pain by facing the things we dread. It’s a genre that gives hope by forcing us to look into the abyss. Sometimes, horror even gives us tips on how to survive this dreadful world, literally and figuratively. I mean, I’m totally ready for a zombie apocalypse. Can a Nicholas Sparks fan say the same?

#HorrorIsHealthy

The horror community is aware of the stigma surrounding the genre, especially since the discrimination against the industry is so blatant nowadays. We are fighting against it, though. Thanks to South African horror author, Karen Runge, there’s even a great hashtag created to try and beat the censorship algorithms on social media. So, if you believe that the horror genre is not to blame for all the bad in the world, tweet #HorrorIsHealthy. Make it trend, because you best be sure if horror falls, another genre is next on the chopping board …

 

The War Against #Horror

While society continues to circle the drain, people are actively seeking to pin the blame on something or someone. As a result, several of the usual subjects are being pointed to as the culprits for “inspiring” the horrific travesties we are currently facing—video games, music (specifically metal or rock), pornography, horror, and so forth, are all often targeted. These industries are the scapegoats, easy targets. Of course, this is not the first time something has been demonized by society because of misinformation, and I’m sure it won’t be the last time either. Nevertheless, I feel it’s time to set the record straight in regards to horror itself.

Satanic Panic

In the USA, during the 1980s, a widespread hysteria called “Satanic Panic” gripped the nation and saw many innocent people being incarcerated for being different to what is socially acceptable. If they looked a certain way or thought differently, they were guilty of something. Don’t believe me? Read up on the West Memphis Three.

In the 1990s, this phenomenon spread to South Africa and sometimes the media still uses it as a scare tactic when there isn’t an obvious motive for a crime.

The Censoring of Horror

Recently we realized that Instagram has censored the #Horror tag with a nice little pop-up message:

[image error]

This is baffling to anyone who works in the horror industry, especially for a writer, because: 1.) Although people in #hthe horror industry are not immune to suffering from mental illness, the genre itself is not the cause of our problems; and, 2.) Why censor #horror and not #crime?

Logically, one can surmise that people who are actively searching for ideas to do something illegal won’t type in #horror in a search engine. So, what’s the deal with censoring #horror?

Oh, but there’s more to this censorship campaign than meets the eye, folks.

A month or so ago horror directors Jen and Sylvia Soska were thrown off Twitter for, get this, sharing a promotional picture of their upcoming horror film, RABID. The horror community rallied behind them and their account was eventually reinstated, but the point is this was an intentional censorship move from a social media mogul. I mean, even Joe Hill’s gone back to blogging on his own website because of censorship issues on Tumblr. He explains the shift, without really going into too much detail, in his post: Resumes Transmission.

And then there’s this guy (and others like him) that just annoys the living hell out of me:

 

This might be a a lil’ controversial, especially for all my #DisTwitter followers…

But instead of blamin’ #videogames for desensitization, let’s look at horror films, or events like #HHN, where we see mutilated corpses, & people covered in blood screaming, “HELP ME!!!!”

— Tyler Dean (@_TylerDean) August 6, 2019

So, why is an entire genre being called the Devil when the horror community are always the first people trying to help?

There’s a non-profit convention dedicated to raising funds for childhood diseases and illness, which is called Scares that Care. Countless anthologies are published every year for charity, where all of the profits—or a big margin of the profit—is handed over to a specific cause. Some recent ones I’ve heard of include: Horror for Raices, a charity anthology that is trying to raise funds for Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, and Dark Tides: A Charity Anthology, which will donate all proceeds to the Virginia Beach Tragedy Fund.

I should also mention the tireless efforts of the Horror Writers Association, a non-profit organization that’s established various scholarships, promotes mental health awareness, has literacy programs, and so much more.

This does not include the charity work the horror community does on an individual basis. Every horror author I know supports some cause, they just don’t always broadcast it to the world, because we don’t need to use the suffering of others to promote our own careers.

In Conclusion

We’re all searching for answers. We all want to point the finger and blame something or someone to make sense of it all. But blaming an entire industry or genre without any proof to substantiate the claim won’t bring any of the victims back. As much as we want to make the world a better place for everyone, we can’t. So, we create escapes for you—fictional worlds that we hope will make you sit back and say: “Well, at least the real world isn’t this bad.” The truth of the matter is: Nothing we come up with is quite as terrifying as reality anymore.

And that, my dear readers, is not horror’s fault.

The reason I’ve actually written this post is because I, like other people in the horror industry, are aware that at some point we’ll be censored off social media platforms. If that ever happens, though, I want you all to know that you’ll always be able to find me here on my website.